GoinG into the German race weekend, Lewis
Hamilton told his supporters that he did not expect
to be challenging for pole. But challenge for pole
he did, putting together a faultless lap that was a
whisker shy of Mark Webber’s pace-setting time.
The British driver then improved on a good
Saturday result by besting the Australian off the
start at the Nurburgring, before ceding and then
reclaiming the lead.
It was a dream result for the McLaren driver,
who had been slipping backwards in the drivers’
standings – and the popularity stakes – after some
risky passing attempts at Monaco and a retirement in
Montreal.
This weekend, however, Hamilton’s performance
was faultless. The British driver admitted in the
press conference that his passing and attacking
manoeuvres were the most precise he’d delivered all
season, and it was obvious to all and sundry that the
victory had restored his mental equilibrium.
With a win this weekend, Hamilton was able to
silence his critics, who included a number of former
F1 drivers. David Coulthard was but one voice in a
chorus proclaiming that Hamilton and McLaren had
one weekend, and one weekend only, to save their
chances of a 2011 title win.
While the gap to championship leader Sebastian
Vettel is still an intimidating 82 points, Hamilton is
now the only man other than Vettel to have scored
multiple wins in the 2011 F1 season.
Hamilton gets dream result
Red Bull’s blistering Saturday pace is no longer enough
for Sunday dominance, now that Ferrari and McLaren –
the team’s closest rivals – appear to have closed the gap.
Mark Webber started Sunday’s race from pole position,
but made another poor start and handed the lead to
McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton before the first lap had
been completed. Webber then reclaimed the position,
Webber lacks pace needed to convert pole into win
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